Emirates Team New Zealand sailed unopposed today in the final race of Round 4 of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series.

A pair of Australians guided the good ship Aotearoa around the race track, as normal wing trimmer Glenn Ashby (top right) took a turn on the helm in place of skipper Dean Barker, who got a breather. Also, bowman Adam Beashel slotted into Ashby’s role trimming the wing.

'We had a few crew rotations today that made things a little more interesting, a couple of Aussies at the back of a Kiwi boat,' said Beashel, who has been with Emirates Team New Zealand since the 2003 America’s Cup.

'It was no problem at all,' Beashel continued. 'I’m used to sailing with Glenn. We’ve done a lot of sailing together on the SL33 (the team’s training boat), so it was business as usual for the two of us. There were quite a lot of snide little jokes here and there, a bit of fun and banter, so was a good day.'

Emirates Team New Zealand has already clinched the round robin portion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, which gives the team the choice of advancing straight to the final or choosing its opponent in the semifinal round. The Kiwi team is expected to announce its decision at a press conference after tomorrow’s race against Luna Rossa Challenge.

The race will be broadcast on the America’s Cup YouTube channel beginning at 12:00 pm.